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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · current · degree · mate · bass · fan · cold · snap

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cold — an illness
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. mate — a partner
  7. current — happening now
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. mate — a friend
  13. current — of water
  14. vault — a safe
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mate — to breed
  17. degree — temperature
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. current — electric
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bass — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com